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65 days non-violent blockade

26.03. – 29.05.2015

Join us!

To blockade Büchel – an act of civil disobedience

Nuclear weapons are still a reality in Germany. That’s why we are inviting local and (inter-)national groups and activists to express their opposition to the deployment and storage of nuclear weapons through non-violent blockades. On as many days as possible within a period of 65 days, different groups will blockade a gate or gates of the Büchel nuclear base for one whole day each (or longer, if they like).

You will arrive the day before and prepare for your action with our help: How many gates do you want to blockade? What will you do if the police clears the blockade?
You’ll live nearby (we’ll help you to find accommodation) and the next morning we’ll accompany your action. You decide when to end your blockade and we’ll end the day of action with a joint evaluation.

All you need are 2 days and people who you were able to inspire to join you in blockading. What about motivating your local anti-nuclear group, or bring your Attac group with you, or even celebrate your birthday at the gate?

Every single blockade will disrupt the smooth running of the base. And we bring attention to the issue that nuclear weapons that are stored there and their potential use.

On March 26th 2010 the German Bundestag called on the German government to advocate within NATO and directly to the US that the nuclear weapons remaining on German soil be withdrawn. An estimated 20 US nuclear bombs are stored at the German Army “Bundeswehr” airbase at Büchel. In the framework of so-called nuclear sharing arrangements, German Tornado aircraft are planned for use in nuclear war to deliver these bombs to their targets.

However, the former Conservative/Liberal government and the present Conservative/Social Democrat governments have both failed to effectively put pressure on the NATO alliance to withdraw the nuclear bombs from Büchel. Quite the opposite – not only has the retention of the bombs been tacitly accepted, their replacement with more flexible and precise nuclear weapons has been approved. They will thus remain in operation till 2050. With this, nuclear precision bombs will be introduced into Europe for the first time. These new weapons will endanger disarmament
negotiations between NATO and Russia. Russia could call NATO’s disarmament commitment into question and use this as a pretext for further modernisation of their own nuclear arsenal.

The German government’s approval of this “modernisation” lends support to the new spiral of arms racing instead of backing the ultimate abolition of these weapons of mass destruction. And they are ignoring the will of the people, the majority of whom are against keeping nuclear weapons on German soil.

This “modernisation” devours millions of Euros that could be better spent on more urgent problems for humanity.

Nuclear weapons produce endless suffering for millions of people, not only when they were exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also through their existence and their production. Nuclear weapons maintain the nuclear chain that continues to add to the number of radiation victims and destroys the very basis of human life. Our response to this is to intensify our protest and resistance directly at the place where these dangerous weapons are stored and where daily training for their use is taking place. Like in Mutlangen in the eighties, Büchel in the Eifel region has become a symbol for military nuclear madness. We want to counter this insanity with our demand for unconditional (nuclear) disarmament and non-violent resolution of international conflict.

Together with you, we will make Büchel a symbol of successful non-violent resistance to nuclear weapons.

At the end of May the Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) reaches its conclusion in New York.

We will bring pressure to bear by blockading the 65 days leading up to the end of this international conference!

Scope of the action

We understand civil disobedience to be non-violent direct action which is not necessarily confined to acts permitted by the state but also can – in a circumspect manner – transgress prohibitions. Hereby one risks or even provokes legal action after being charged with a summary or a criminal offence. In this way, the particular seriousness of the protest against circumstances of a scandalous nature gains particular expression. We will not use physical violence against any person, nor threaten to use it, nor will we use verbal abuse, ridicule or mockery. Our counterpart (police, soldiers, opponents of our action) will be respected, even when we are critical of their role and their acts. This is also valid should it come to legal proceedings against us as a result of our actions. We want to treat state prosecutors, judges and others with respect, even if we see them as a part of the political and legal system we are criticising.

Non-violent behaviour is a credible invitation to our counterpart to refrain from using the violence at their disposal and to treat our action benignly. Non-violent conduct on our part is, however, no guarantee against violence being used against us. Even when we are provoked, however, we will not retaliate with violence, but will remain calm and collected.

We will block access to the Büchel nuclear weapons base non-violently.